Posts

Showing posts with the label Jack L

Atletico Madrid survive Barca fightback to progress

Image
Atletico Madrid 1 - 2 Barcelona (Atletico Madrid won 3-2 on aggregate) Atletico Madrid withstood a spirited Barcelona revival to reach the Champions League semi-finals Author | Jack L Stadium | Metropolitano Pre-match atmosphere Trailing 2-0 from the first meeting, Barcelona struck early. Lamine Yamal reduced the deficit inside five minutes, sliding his finish beneath Juan Musso after a loose touch from former Barcelona defender ClĂ©ment Lenglet. The tie was level 19 minutes later. Ferran Torres collected Dani Olmo’s pass and sent a precise left-footed effort into the top corner, briefly silencing the home support. That quiet lasted only moments Marcos Llorente surged down the right and picked out Ademola Lookman, who finished to restore Atletico’s advantage on aggregate. Barcelona had earlier passed up the chance to extend their lead on the night, Musso reacting sharply to deny FermĂ­n LĂłpez from close range with an outstretched block. View from the away end Torres believed he had added...

Barcelona ease to win over Espanyol in the Catalan derby

Image
Barcelona 4 - 1 Espanyol  Barcelona moved nine points clear of rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a composed victory over Espanyol in the Catalan derby. Author |  Jack L Stadium  |  Spotify Camp Nou Ferran Torres climbed highest to meet Lamine Yamal’s corner at the back post after nine minutes, setting the tone early. The former Manchester City forward added a second midway through the first half, racing onto a clever outside-of-the-boot pass from Yamal and getting the better of Marko Dmitrovic to finish calmly. At just 18 years and 272 days, Yamal became the club’s youngest player to reach 100 appearances, underlining his growing influence with two assists. Espanyol, who struggled to establish control for long periods, pulled one back in the 56th minute when Pol Lozano reacted quickest in the box after Eric Garcia’s block. Fernando Calero later headed wide from Ramon Terrats’ corner, but the visitors could not find a way through. Barcelona responded with ...

Real Madrid's title hopes suffer another blow

Image
Real Madrid 1 - 1 Girona Real Madrid’s faltering run continued as their already fragile La Liga title hopes suffered another setback in a frustrating draw Author | Jack L Stadium | BernabĂ©u Victory would have trimmed Barcelona’s lead at the summit to four points before Saturday’s derby against Espanyol. Instead, Hansi Flick’s side could move nine points clear with a win, as Madrid’s winless sequence stretched to three matches in all competitions. This match also formed part of La Liga's retro weekend where sides are wearing kits from their past. What happened on the night? Federico Valverde gave the hosts the lead six minutes into the second half at the Santiago BernabĂ©u Stadium, his low effort from the edge of the area slipping beyond Paulo Gazzaniga. The advantage lasted only 11 minutes. Thomas Lemar surged in from the right and drove past Andriy Lunin to restore parity, and Madrid could not summon a response. Kylian MbappĂ© saw a penalty appeal waved away as frustration grew. Wat...

Turkey reach first World Cup since 2002

Image
Kosovo 0 - 1 Turkey Turkey reached their first World Cup in 24 years as Kerem Akturkoglu’s goal secured a narrow play-off victory over Kosovo. Author | Jack L Stadium | Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri They had not qualified since finishing third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but will now take their place in Group C this summer alongside Australia, Paraguay and co-hosts the United States. In a tense encounter in Pristina, Kenan Yildiz cut the ball back for Orkun Kokcu, whose mis-hit effort was turned in at the back post by the Fenerbahce forward Akturkoglu in the 53rd minute. Kosovo, seeking a first major tournament since joining FIFA and UEFA in 2016, went close before the break when Ugurcan Cakir tipped Fisnik Asllani’s strike onto the crossbar. Turkey, who managed only one other shot on target, held on to secure their third World Cup appearance and end a run of five successive failed qualification campaigns. pic.twitter.com/Y2oIAMVcaE — TĂĽrkiye #BizimÇocuklar 🇹🇷 (@MilliTakimlar) March 3...

Atalanta stun Dortmund with remarkable comeback

Image
Atalanta 4 - 1 Borussia Dortmund (Atalanta won 4-3 on aggregate) Atalanta scored a dramatic last-gasp penalty to complete a remarkable comeback against Borussia Dortmund  Author | Jack L Stadium | New Balance Arena Facing a daunting task after a 2-0 defeat in Germany, the hosts tore into the tie with first-half goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Davide Zappacosta to draw level on aggregate.  The momentum continued after the break when Mario Pasalic made it 3-0 on the night in the 57th minute. There was to be some late drama Dortmund appeared to have forced extra time when Karim Adeyemi curled in a crucial goal to restore parity overall, but the drama was not done. Deep into stoppage time, Ramy Bensebaini caught Nikola Krstovic with a high boot in the penalty area as the Atalanta forward attacked a cross following an error by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. After a VAR review, referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez awarded a penalty and showed Bensebaini a second yellow card. Lazar Samardz...

Barcelona win on Camp Nou return

Image
Barcelona 4 - 0 Athletic Club Barcelona moved to the top of La Liga with an emphatic win over 10-man Athletic Club in their first match at their iconic home since May 2023. Author | Jack L Stadium  |  Spotify Camp Nou Robert Lewandowski scored their first goal back in their iconic home, which had been closed for extensive renovations, in the fourth minute. Ferran Torres netted towards the end of both halves, each assisted by wonderful skill from Lamine Yamal, who was aged just 15 in his only previous Nou Camp appearance. Fermin Lopez also struck in the 48th minute, while visiting midfielder Oihan Sancet was sent off for a crude challenge on Lopez just six minutes later. Large sections of the Nou Camp remained closed for the game, which was played in front of a 45,157 crowd. The rebuilding work, which was originally scheduled to be finished in November 2024, will eventually increase the stadium's capacity to 105,000. Barca moved to 31 points from 13 games and top on goa...

Barcelona will finally return to iconic home ground

Image
Barcelona are set for a long-awaited return to the Nou Camp this weekend This is more than two years after leaving their historic home for extensive redevelopment works.  Author |  Jack L The La Liga match with Athletic Club on Saturday 22 November will mark the first fixture at the ground since May 2023. The stadium reopens with a temporary capacity of 45,401 following the latest phase of its renovation. Barcelona last played there in an official match on 28 May 2023 against Real Mallorca, before the site was shut down to begin a project aimed at transforming the arena into a modern venue fit for the future. Work began in June 2023 with a budget of about £1.1bn and an ambition to raise the capacity to 105,000, placing it among the largest stadiums in world football. The club had hoped to return in November 2024 to align with their 125th anniversary, but a series of delays pushed that target back. During the redevelopment, they shifted most of their fixtures to the Olympic...

Ajax have sacked John Heitinga

Image
Another big European side making a managerial change Ajax have confirmed they will part ways with manager John Heitinga less than six months after he took charge, following a poor run of results. Author | Jack L Heitinga, 41, won five of his 11 Eredivisie matches, with the Amsterdam side now eight points behind league leaders Feyenoord. The club have also lost all four of their Champions League fixtures this season, including a 3-0 home defeat to Galatasaray on Wednesday. Heitinga, a former Everton defender, served as Arne Slot's assistant last season when Liverpool claimed the Premier League. He returned to Ajax in late May on a two-year contract, having made more than 200 appearances for the club as a player and holding previous roles as reserve-team coach and interim head coach. READ MORE | Ajax v Galatasaray match report on Super News Affiliate Technical director Alex Kroes told the club’s website: "It's a painful decision. We know it can take time for a new coach to w...

Rashford scores as Barca bounce back from El Clasico loss

Image
Barcelona 3 - 1 Elche  Marcus Rashford was on target for Barcelona as they recovered from their El Clásico defeat with a composed victory over Elche. Author | Jack L Stadium | Estadi OlĂ­mpic LluĂ­s Companys Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres gave Hansi Flick’s side an early two-goal cushion before Rafa Mir briefly gave the visitors hope. Rashford’s strike just after the hour settled the contest and lifted Barça back to second, five points adrift of Real Madrid. Barca eventually take control Elche thought they had taken the lead when the ball found the net early on, only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations. From that point, Barcelona asserted control. Yamal opened the scoring in the ninth minute, cutting inside from Alejandro Balde’s pass and bending a superb finish into the far corner. Two minutes later, the hosts doubled their advantage as Fermin LĂłpez capitalised on a defensive slip by Adria Pedrosa and squared for Torres to score from close range. Mir reduced the d...

Bellingham stars for Real Madrid in fiery El Clasico

Image
Real Madrid 2 - 1 Barcelona Jude Bellingham delivered a goal and an assist in La Liga for the first time this season as Real Madrid edged past Barcelona in a frantic El Clasico. Author | Jack L Stadium | Santiago BernabĂ©u Bellingham split Barcelona’s defence with a precise through ball for Kylian Mbappe to open the scoring midway through the first half. Bellingham then restored Madrid’s advantage with a close-range finish five minutes after Fermin Lopez had levelled. It was Bellingham’s fourth goal in five matches against Barcelona, helping Xabi Alonso’s side move five points clear at the top. The contest ended in disorder, with Pedri dismissed and tempers simmering on the sidelines. A closer look at a dramatic night Madrid lost all four meetings with their great rivals last season, but they set about attacking the visitors’ high defensive line from the outset. Vinicius Junior won an early penalty only for VAR to overturn the decision, ruling he had initiated the contact with Lami...

Barcelona produce their best performance of the season

Image
Barcelona 6 - 1 Olympiacos Fermin Lopez scored a hat-trick while Marcus Rashford extended his personal tally to four goals from three Champions League games as Barcelona dismantled Olympiacos. Author | Jack L Stadium | Estadi OlĂ­mpic LluĂ­s Companys Lopez’s two precise first-half finishes put Barcelona in command, before his third goal, a Lamine Yamal penalty and a Rashford double ended any brief Olympiacos revival. A closer look at what happened Lopez opened the scoring in the seventh minute, following Yamal’s through ball, finishing past the defenders on the goal-line after goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis blocked but could not hold onto the ball. The Spanish midfielder doubled Barcelona’s lead half an hour later, running onto Dro Fernandez’s pass into space, cutting inside and curling a left-footed strike into the corner. READ MORE |  Champions League news from the 25/26 season The second half began in unusual circumstances. Ayoub El Kaabi appeared to halve the deficit w...

More protests against La Liga's American plans

Image
There have been protests against the decision to have La Liga matches outside the country Players in La Liga stood still for the opening 15 seconds of matches on Saturday in protest against the league’s decision to stage a fixture in Miami. Author |  Jack L The demonstrations came during high-profile games involving Barcelona and AtlĂ©tico Madrid, who hosted Girona and Osasuna respectively, and followed the example set by Oviedo and Espanyol on Friday evening. Identical protests took place in Sevilla’s meeting with Mallorca and Villarreal’s clash with Real Betis. As during the Oviedo v Espanyol game, television coverage of Barcelona’s fixture avoided showing the action on the pitch during the protest, instead cutting to shots of the stadium exterior. In other matches, cameras focused tightly on the centre circle rather than offering a wide view of the players standing motionless. The protests stem from the Spanish football federation’s decision in August to approve Villarreal’s ...

Spain remain on course to qualify for World Cup

Image
Spain 2 - 0 Georgia Spain maintained their perfect start to World Cup qualifying with a comfortable victory over Georgia in Elche. Author | Jack L Stadium | Estadio Manuel MartĂ­nez Valero Crystal Palace midfielder Yeremy Pino opened the scoring after 24 minutes, tapping in from close range after Robin le Normand’s knockdown. Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili then conceded a penalty for fouling Ferran Torres, but redeemed himself moments later by saving the Barcelona forward’s spot-kick. Tottenham defender Pedro Porro struck the post with a curling effort as Spain continued to control proceedings and carve out chances. Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal eventually made it 2-0 with a superb free-kick, beating Mamardashvili at his near post with a powerful strike. Mamardashvili continued to impress though. He denied Torres once more in the 88th minute, helping to keep the scoreline respectable for Georgia, who were otherwise outclassed. The result keeps Spain firmly on track ...

Sevilla stun Barcelona with fantastic performance

Image
Sevilla 4 - 1 Barcelona Barcelona squandered the chance to return to the top of La Liga after being comprehensively beaten by Sevilla. Author | Jack L Stadium | Estadio RamĂłn Sánchez Pizjuán Sunny scenes from the stands in Sevilla Needing a win to overtake Real Madrid , the defending champions endured their heaviest defeat to Sevilla since a 4-0 loss in 1951. Robert Lewandowski missed a second-half penalty after Marcus Rashford had pulled one back with a left-footed volley in first-half stoppage time, briefly giving the visitors hope of overturning a two-goal deficit. Hansi Flick’s side were second best for much of the contest and deservedly fell to their first league defeat of the season against opponents who had not beaten them in La Liga for more than a decade. Source | FC Barcelona's YouTube channel Former Barcelona winger Alexis Sánchez opened the scoring from the penalty spot after captain Ronald AraĂşjo fouled Isaac Romero near the byline. Romero added a second from a...

Vinicius Junior scores twice in Real Madrid win

Image
Real Madrid 3 - 1 Villareal Vinicius Junior scored twice as Real Madrid continued their recovery from last weekend’s heavy defeat to Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid v Villarreal highlights youtu.be/jsz6qAwlCEg?... [image or embed] — Super News Affiliate ( @eurosuperfootball.bsky.social ) 5 October 2025 at 17:54 Author | Jack L Stadium | Santiago BernabĂ©u After a frustrating first half, which saw the Real players booed off at the break, Vinicius opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the second period. The Brazilian collected a flick-on from Kylian Mbappe , cut inside from the left and struck a shot that took a significant deflection off Santi Comesana , deceiving Villarreal goalkeeper Arnau Tenas at the near post. Vinicius remained Real’s main threat, adding a penalty in the 69th minute after being bundled over in the box by Rafa Marin. He calmly slotted the ball under Tenas to extend the lead. READ MORE | Real Madrid's midweek Champions League win Villarreal continued to offer...

PSG underline their status as European champions

Image
Barcelona 1 - 2 PSG Paris Saint-Germain underlined their status as elite side once more as they overcame injuries to defeat Barcelona. Author | Jack L Stadium | Estadi OlĂ­mpic LluĂ­s Companys The holders arrived in Catalonia without their injured front three of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane DembĂ©lĂ© and DĂ©sirĂ© DouĂ©, as well as captain Marquinhos, while JoĂŁo Neves was ruled out after the warm-up. Yet Luis Enrique’s side, who claimed the treble last season by dismantling Internazionale 5-0 in the final, still found a way to take all three points. Barcelona, champions of Spain and among the most watchable teams in Europe until their semi-final elimination last term, began brightly. Marcus Rashford and Lamine Yamal carried a threat from the flanks and the hosts deservedly went in front. PSG responded with composure and their tireless full-backs created both goals. Mayulu, 19, who had announced himself with a strike in the Munich final, netted his second in the competition before substi...

Mbappé was the star again for Real Madrid

Image
Kairat Almaty 0 - 5 Real Madrid Kylian MbappĂ© struck a hat-trick to take his tally to 60 Champions League goals as Real Madrid dismantled Kairat Almaty. Author | Jack L Stadium | Ortalyq stadıon Against all the odds, the home side nearly scored in the opening seconds. A long ball just a short moment after kick-off nearly resulted in a memorable moment. This would be a chance wasted as Real Madrid had well and truly woken up. The France captain eventually opened the scoring on the from the penalty spot after home goalkeeper Sherkhan Kalmurza clattered into Franco Mastantuono. He added a second midway through the second half, latching on to Thibaut Courtois ’ long pass and lifting the ball over Kalmurza, before sealing his treble from close range after earlier missing a gilt-edged chance. Kairat briefly thought they had a way back when Valeri Gromyko won a penalty, but VAR overturned the decision. Madrid then pulled further clear with late goals from Eduardo Camavinga, who headed ...

Barcelona come from behind as Rashford impresses again

Image
Barcelona 2 - 1 Real Sociedad Robert Lewandowski headed in a second-half winner as Barcelona came from behind to defeat Real Sociedad and move to the top of the La Liga table. Author |  Jack L Stadium | Estadi OlĂ­mpic LluĂ­s Companys Real Sociedad had taken a surprise lead in the 31st minute when Alvaro Odriozola slid in to finish Ander Barrenetxea's low cross on the counter-attack. Barcelona responded just before half-time as Jules Kounde met Marcus Rashford's corner with a powerful header to level the scores. Hansi Flick introduced Ballon d'Or runner-up Lamine Yamal in the 58th minute, and the 18-year-old immediately made an impact, beating a defender before delivering a precise cross that Lewandowski nodded home. Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, impressed once again, creating chances down the left and testing Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro with dipping shots either side of the interval. He was withdrawn in the 78th minute, with Flick likely considering the ...

Atletico hit five to stun Real in historic derby win

Image
Atletico Madrid 5 - 2 Real Madrid Simeone’s side end Real’s perfect start with biggest derby haul since 1950 Author | Jack L Stadium | Metropolitano Stadium Fantastic atmosphere in Madrid Atletico Madrid scored five goals against city rivals Real for the first time in almost 75 years as they came from behind to claim a pulsating derby victory. It was only the fourth time Atletico had scored at least five in a Madrid derby, the last occasion being a 6-3 triumph in November 1950. Real, who had begun the season with six straight La Liga wins and opened their Champions League campaign by beating Marseille, fell to their first defeat of the campaign. The five conceded equalled their heaviest league loss since a 5-1 reverse to Barcelona in October 2018. Different pictures from the stands Diego Simeone ’s side struck first when Robin le Normand headed them in front, but goals from Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler turned the game in Real’s favour. Alexander Sorloth equalised in first-half stopp...

Kylian Mbappé on form for Real Madrid

Image
Levante 1 - 4 Real Madrid Kylian MbappĂ© struck twice as Real Madrid maintained their perfect start to the La Liga season with a comfortable win at Levante. Author |  Jack L Stadium | Estadio Ciudad de Valencia Full-time scenes The French forward’s brace, coming within the space of two minutes, secured a sixth consecutive victory and stretched Madrid’s lead at the top to five points over Barcelona. A closer analysis of what happened MbappĂ©’s first came from the penalty spot just after the hour mark, a delicately executed Panenka past Levante goalkeeper Mathew Ryan . Moments later, he doubled his tally with a composed finish after being slipped through by Arda GĂĽler, taking his total to seven league goals this campaign. VinĂ­cius JĂşnior had earlier opened the scoring with a moment of brilliance, bending the ball into the far corner with the outside of his boot from a tight angle.  READ MORE |  Real Madrid 2 - 0 Espanyol READ MORE |  Mbappe penalties rescue Real Madrid...